The Hightowers
The Hightowers is made up of some of the most powerful magic users throughout the world. Originally part of the Maester Academes, the founders of The Hightowers split off to focus their studies in an arcane direction, believing that if they could perfect the art of magic then there was no need to study anything else. History During The Divide, when the Maester Academes had undergone a schism, one of the factions that came from this was The Hightowers, led by Archmagus Lucretia Stone. With the belief that there was no need for any studies outside of the arcane arts, Stone and her following decided that there was no need to be held back by studying anything else or by spending as much time around other fields as they did. And when they caught wind that other departments were thinking of separating, they threw their hat into the ring and went off on their own thing, stopping projects or simply disappearing with them altogether. After gaining their independence from the Maester Academes, Stone set up a hierarchy where each member of the faction had someone they could immediately turn to for help without overworking the superiors. Though the Hightowers were not as affluent as the Maester Academes, this hardly stopped them from funding as much research. Unlike the Academes, however, this meant that they had to look to other means to gain the funds for their research. Though some turned to legitimate means for their finances, others looked to more criminal means, which the Archmagus and their higher up turned a blind eye to where possible. This practice kept up even after the Hightowers were financially stable and in as well off of a place as the other factions, though more out of habit than out of a necessity. This, combined with some of them incidents that occur around the base headquarters and connected schools, of course, led to them having a slightly worse reputation than some of the other schools. But even in spite of that, it would be amiss to ignore the good that this faction has done for the world as a whole. Organization Philosophy To understand magic is to understand the universe as a whole. While other schools of thought may be focused on broadly expanding their understanding of the world or on studying a more practical subject, Magi of the Hightower believe that magic is truly the best and only way to attain understanding. Though some find this sheer faith in magic to be misguided, and even some Magi will concede that there are some problems magic can't handle, this doesn't stop them from trying. Of course, even if there's stuff that magic can't answer, it's still the most fun solution. Notable Members * Lucretia Stone ** Founder of the Hightowers * Leovold King ** Discovered a more efficient means of traveling between planes * Shiehra Ennis ** Discovered a way to store magical energy for long term use * Hawthorne Garrett ** Discovered a way to engrave the main headquarters with self-regenerating magic * Ciara Grant ** Ceased the over-regeneration of the main headquarters without destroying the self-regenerating magic.